Gathering and Analysing Facts
This is the stage in which all forensic evidence and witness statements are gathered so the police are able to narrow it down to one suspect. This logically comes after each other stage as the other stages focus on gathering evidence, this is where this stage is able to stop this process unless other potential evidence comes to light, the stage solely focuses on the suspects and if they are able to narrow the list done. The main job of this stage is to build up evidence to support the case against the suspect, while doing an analysis of all evidence. Each piece of evidence is analysed to see if they are able to fit together, for example if numerous pieces of evidence are taken from a crime scene and they all include DNA from the same suspect this means they have evidence to hold up in court against this person. It is important each piece of evidence is analysed in the correct way whether it being a witness statement or a piece of evidence retrieved from the scene, witness statements will be analysed to see how reliable they are. Are there similar witnesses seeing the same thing? Or are they helping to cover vital information up. The evidence will be correctly identified using the correct techniques, for example if a hair sample is left at the scene/ located on a suspect a naked eye and magnification inspection will be done and later compared with a hair sample from either the suspect or the victim.
The Soham Murders and Gathering and Analyzing Facts
There was many pieces of evidence to link Ian Huntley to the death of the girls which meant each other suspect was forgot about at this point and the investigation was solely focused on Huntley. When Huntley was first questioned by the police they decided to search his property, inside his property they found a set of keys which where the same set used to open a small building outside of Soham College. There was vital pieces of evidence located within this small property although Ian said this was nothing to do with him as he had no access, this was proved through the set of keys. Forensic scientist Helen Davey was sent to the small building on the 17th of August to gather all forensic evidence, within this building pieces of clothing belonging to the girls was found inside of a bin both girls had disappeared in the same red Manchester United Shirts these where found partially burnt and cut. DNA samples through fingerprints and hair strands where also found on the clothing and inside the bin which both belonged to Huntley. Due to having this evidence against Huntley the police where right to focus the investigation on him.
There was other pieces of key evidence although none were able to be linked to the killings of Holly and Jessica. It had appeared that Huntley had changed the tyres on his car and replaced the lining in the boot with a new carpet, due to where the bodies had been found this made the police question on why he had changed the tyres? Did he transport the bodies through his car and had to remove all vital evidence, which could have been tyre tracks as well as pieces of the scene being left on the tyres. If the polices prediction was true and he did transport the bodies to the field this will mean that he done this through the boot, he removed all evidence from the boot of the car to ensure there was no traces left in the car. A petrol can was also found located in the trunk of the car, due to the bodies being burnt it was believed that the fluid from inside the can was the same used to burn the bodies. CCTV footage showed Ian purchasing the fluid from a near by garage which proved that he did burn the bodies due to the type of fluid he was seen purchasing.
The bodies where also a part of key evidence to link Huntley to the murders, they where found in Woodlands near an air force base on the 17th of August 2002. Huntley and Carr were later arrested at 4am through the finding's of the bodies and the sufficient evidence to link them to this. Ian and Maxine both gave witness statements admitting to have seen the girls that day but said they didn't know where they had went after this, as the girls where passing by Huntleys home he had described them as being "happy as Larry" (Ian Huntley 2002). Huntley was interviewed on other occasions while police where gathering witness statements it was known that Huntley cried through these interviews blaming himself on not knowing where the children where heading. Both Huntley and Carr where interviewed by SKY News and the had police doubted that they were both suspects within the case until the evidence came to light.